Notching mechanism



' J. F. PETERS 2,330,235

Sept.v 28, 1943.

NOTCHING MEGHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 6, 1941 INVENTOR.

BY% l ATTOENEYS Sept. 28, 1943. J. F. PETERS NOTCHING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1941 sept. 28, 1943. J F, PETERS' 2,330,235

NOTCHING MECHANISM Filed Dec'. 6. 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 28, 1943 NOTCHING IVIECHANSM John F. Peters, Leonia., N. J., assigner to AmericanCan Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation `of, New Jersey Application December 6, 1941, Serial No. 421,991

8 Claims.

vThe present invention relates to a mechanism for notching sheet material and has particular reference to a rotary device for notching the sheets as they advance in a continuous procession.

In the manufacture of containers or cans made of metal or fibre, it is customary to form notches and to cut off the corners of i'lat blanks from which the bodies and other parts ofthe cans are made to produce better 'fit or to reduce the thick; ness of the can seam at predetermined places.

The rinstant invention contemplates a notching mechanism for notching such sheets at high speed and while the blanks are moving in a continuous procession. Y

An object therefore of the invention is the provision of a notching mechanism wherein sheets of material are notched as they are advanced along a predetermined path of travel at high speed and in an orderly spaced continuous procession so that increased productionv may be obtained. f

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a notching mechanism embodying the instant invention, with parts broken away;

- Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional viev:T taken substantially along the broken line ,2 2 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3 in Fig. 2, withparts broken away; and l Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are schematic Vviews showing therelation of a notching tool to the sheets being notched, the views showing dilferent positions of 'the tool incident to performingV the notching operation.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate a mechanism for notching libre can body blanks A by cutting off corner pieces B from the side seam edges of the blanks to produce clipped or vbeveled edges C thereon, although the invention is equally well adapted for cutting other forms of notches and for other kinds of material, such as rnetallicor non-fibrous materials lfrom which containers are made.

The blanks A to be notched are advanced along a straight path of travel inspaced and timed order and in a continuously moving procession while being supported on a horizontal table' I l. The table is or may be formed as an integral part of a frame l2 which may be the main frame of a more elaborate machine. The blanks are guided along the table by a'pair ofA spaced and parallel guide rails I4 which are formed at the outeredges of the table.

The blanks A are propelled over the table by a plurality of sets of upper and lower continuously rotating rollers I6 which are spaced at intervals along the table. These rollers preferably are formed with a metallic hub l1 (Fig. 2) and a metallic outer shell I3 with avresilient core I9 made of rubber interposed between the hub and the shell. Such a roller may be set on a fixed axis and yet be capable of yieldably pressing down on the blank for frictionally advancing it over the table. The lower roller I6 in each set is located in a recess 2| cut in the table, with the top 0f the roller ilush with the top of the table.

23 which depend from the table and in a bearn ing 2Q formed in the main frame. The lower roller shafts may be rotated in unison in any suitable manner operating in time with the other moving parts of the mechanism. i

The upper rollers i6 of each set are located above the table` and normally engage the lowerv rollers. These upper rollers are mounted on shafts 2G which are journaled in bearings 2'!v formed in an overhanging bracket 'H28 bolted to the outside of the main frame l2. 'Ifhe upper roller shafts extend beyond the bracket and carry spur gears 3l which mesh with and Whichare driven by gears 32 mounted on the lower rollershafts 22. v

In this manner the upper and-lower feedfrollers are rotated in unison. The spacing of the roll-` The notching device includes a rotatable hori-` zontal notcher disc 3E (Figs. 1 and 2) formed on a concentric depending stem 31 which is jour-k naled in a Vertical bearing block 33. bearing block is formed with a cylindrical shouldered shank 39 which is mounted ina horizontal cam This roller. is mounted on a shaft 22 journaled in bearingsl plate 4I secured to a ring bracket 42 bolted to the main frame. The bearing block is held against rotation by a key 43 and is retained against vertical displacement by a locknut 44 which is threaded onto the lower end of the shank 39.

The notcher disc stem 31 extends down below the bearing block shank 39 and carries a bevel gear 41 which meshes with and is driven by a bevel pinion 48. The pinion is mounted on a horizontal driving shaft 49 which is journaled in a bearing l in the ring bracket 42 and in a bearing 52 in the main frame. This driving shaft is rotated in any suitable manner in time with the feed roller shafts 22, 26 so that the peripheral speed of the rotating disc 36 will be equal to the lineal speed of the blanks advancing along the table Il.

The rotating notcher disc carries a plurality of notching heads 55. lThere are three such heads shown in the drawings and they are equal- Iy spaced and are disposed adjacent the periphery of the disc. Each notching head 55 includes a vertically movable notching tool 56 of trapezoidal cross section (see Figs. 4, 5 and 6) which cooperates with a nonrotatable die 51 (Figs. 1 and 2) having a die recess 58.

Each of the notching dies. 51 is secured by screws 5l (Fig. 2) in a head bracket 92 which is disposed on top of the notcher disc 35. The top surface ofv each die is ilush with the top of the table li and is formed with beveled corners 63 which permit the die to move under and in engagement with the blanks for the notching operation, as will be fully explained hereinafter.v

Each of the notching head brackets 52 are formed with a depending sleeve 65 which is carried in a vertical bearing 65 formed on the notcher disc 35. The sleeve of each bracket extends down below the bearings GS and carries a cam arm 61 (see also Fig. 3) having a cam roller 5S which operates in a cam groove S9 formed in the cam plate 4|. This cam action rocks the notching head brackets 62 slightly as they are carried around by the notcher disc 3B.

Each of the notching tools 55 is formed on a block 1I (Figs. l and 2) which is secured by a bolt 12 to a vertical slide 13 disposed in a dovetail slideway 14 formed in the associated head bracket 6?.. The slide extends down through the die recess 58 and into a head recess 18 formed in the notching head. In this head recess the lower end of the slide is formed with a T slot 11 which forms a swivel joint for a T shaped knob 18 on a slide actuating rod 19. slides and actuating rods for each notching head 55.

The slide actuating rods 19 extend down through the head sleeves 55 and adjacent their lower ends carry cam rollers 83 which are mounted on pivot pins 84 secured in the rods. The pivot pins extend through slots 85 formed in opposite sides of the head sleeves 55. The cam rollers operate in a cam groove 86 formed in a cam 81 which surrounds and is integral with the notcher disc stem bearing block 38. This cam is designed to move each notching tool 56 up and down relative to its die 51 as the notcher disc 36 rotates.

Since the die 51 and slide 'E3 which carries the tool 55 are supported in the head bracket 62 for each notching device, the tool always remains in vertical alignment with the die recess 58 in its` cooperating die 51.

Hence as the notching disc 35 rotates it brings There is one of these l the notching heads 55 individually and one after the other into notching position adjacent the table Il along which the blanks to be notched are advancing. The timing is such that a notching head 55 comes into position just as a space between two adjacent blanks A is passing the notching station. With this timing, as a notching head approaches the table ll, the notching die 51, passing along through the arc of the rotating notcher disc 36, moves into the table recess 35 and under and in engagement; with the bottom surface of the advancing blanks A as shown by the position of the tool 56 in Fig. 4. The notching tool 5G is disposed directly above the moving blanks.

As the notching die 51 thus swings into position adjacent the moving blanks, the cam roller 63 traversing the cam groove 69 in the cam plate 4l, rocks the head sleeve 65 and its attached head bracket 62 slightly on their common center to bringl the die 51 and the tool 56 into parallelism with the longitudinal or side seam edge of the passing blank. The die and the tool are maintained in this parallel position relative to the moving blanks as -the notching head moves through an arc adjacent the path of travel of the blanks.

When the moving notching head 55 is exactly in a position which is normal to the path of travel of the blanks along the table, the die 51 and tool 5% overlap the two adjacent transverse edges of adjacent blanks on the table as best shown in Figs. 1 and 5. At this time the cam roller 83 traversing the cam groove operates to draw the slide 13 down in a quick movement thus passing the notching tool 55 through the advancing blanks A and into the die recess 58. This con` stitutes the notching operation at which time the corner portions B of the two adjacent blanks are cut oil. This is done at great speed and while the notching head and the blanks are in continuous motion. j

The cut off portions B of the blanks fall down through the die recess 58. To prevent clogging of the die, all its exterior surfaces are disposed at outwardly and downwardly extending angles so that the cut olf portions B will readily slide oi the die to any suitable place of deposit.

After the notching operation and while the die 51 and the tool 55 are still in parallelism with the blank edges, the tool is moved by its control cam 81 up out of the die recess 58 to its original normal position. When the tool is clear of the moving blanks, the notching head is rocked back into its original position in readiness for the next notching operation when the head is again moved in a rotary path adjacent the table Il.

In this manner the die 51 and the tool 55 are moved away from the blanks while maintaining a proper relation with the blanks so that no damaging interference results. Thus as the blanks advance past the notching station in a continuous orderly procession, the notcher disc 39 in its continuous rotation brings the proper notching head 55 into position to effect the notching of the blanks with great rapidity.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A sheet notching mechanism, comprising in combination, means for` continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along a predetermined path of travel, a continuously rotating member disposed in tangential relation to and in the plane of the advancing sheets, and a notching instrumentality carried by said rotating member and engageable with a sheet vas the latter moves adjacent Said notching instrumentality for cutting a notch in said sheet.

2. A sheet notching mechanism, comp-rising in combination, means for continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along a predetermined path of travel, a continuously rotating member disposed in tangential relation to` and in the plane of the advancing sheets and operating in time with such travel, and a notching instrumentality carried on said rotating member and simultaneously engageable with portions of two adjacent sheets as they move adjacent said instrumentality for cutting notches in both of said sheets.

3. A sheet notching mechanism, comprising in combination, means for continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along a predetermined path of travel, a continuously rotating member disposed adjacent an edge of the moving sheets and rotating in time with the sheets, a notcher headmounted on said member, a die instrumentality carried in said notcher head and engageable under and with a moving sheet as saidy rotating member brings the notcher head adjacent, and a notching tool also carried in said notcher head and movable into said die instrumentality whereby a notching operation is performed on said moving sheet as said rotating member passes the head into notching position.

4. A sheet notching mechanism, comprising in combination, means for continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along a predetermined path of travel, a continuously rotating member disposed adjacent an edge of the moving sheets and rotating in time with the sheets, a notcher head mounted on said member, a die instrumentality carried in said notcher head and engageable with portions of tWo adjacent moving sheets as said rotating member brings the notcher head adjacent, and a notching tool also carried in said notcher head and movable into said die instrumentality whereby a notching operation is performed on said moving sheets as said rotating member passes the head into notching position.

5. A sheet notching mechanism, comprising in combination, means for continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along a predetermined path of travel, a continuously rotating member disposed adjacent an edge of the moving sheets and rotating in time with the. sheets, a plurality of notcher heads arranged in spaced order adjacent the periphery of said rotating member and movable in succession into notching position adjacent the moving sheets, a die instrumentality carried in each of said heads and engageable under and with a sheet as its head comes into position adjacent, and a notching tool also carried-in each head in spaced relation to its die instrumentality whereby cooperation between said notching tool and said die instrumentality effects a notching operation on said sheet as the head comes adjacent.

6.` A sheet notching mechanism, comprising in combination, means for continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along a predetermined path oi travel, a continuously rotating member disposed adjacent an edge of the moving sheets and rotating in time with the sheets, a notcher head mounted on said member, a die instrumentality carried in said notcher head and engageable under and with a moving sheet as the rotating ,member brings the notcher head adjacent, a notching tool also carried in said notcher head and movable into said die instrumentality, and actuating means for shifting said notcher head to bring said die instrumentality into parallelism with the pathof travel of the sheets whereby the notching operation is performed by said tool entering said die instrumentality as the head comes into position adjacent the sheets.

7. A sheet notching mechanism, comprising in combination, a table for supporting sheets to be notched, a plurality of sets oi cooperating upper and lower feed rollers for continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along said table, adjacent sets of rollers being spaced apart a distance less than the width of a sheet, a continuously rotating member disposed adjacent said table, and a notching instrumentality carried on said rotating member and engageable with a sheet advancing over said table for performing a notching operation on the moving sheet.

8. A sheet notching mechanism, comprising in combination, a, table for supporting sheets to -be notched, a plurality of sets of cooperating upper and lower yieldable feed rollers for continuously advancing sheets in spaced processional order along said table, said table having a recess along one edge thereoguide rails located on said table for guiding said sheets, a horizontal continuously rotating member disposed adjacent said table recess, means for rotating said memberin time with said feed rollers, a notcher head mounted on and projecting up from said member and mov-` able into the table recess by rotation of said member, a die instrumentality carried in said notcher head and movable under an edge of a sheet advancing along said table when said head moves into said table recess, a notching tool disposed above said die instrumentality and vertically slidable in said head, and cam means for moving said tool down through an advancing sheet and into said die instrumentality when the head moves into said table recess whereby a notching operation is performed on said moving sheet.

JOHN F. PETERS. 

